Crawford is a settled suburb where many families have lived in the same house for decades, adding rooms as the family grew. The work here is steady household stuff: rats in the roof, cockroaches in the kitchen and ants once summer arrives.
The local picture in Crawford
Weevils in maize meal, rice and flour are the usual household complaint. Local shops and takeaways need routine checks for pantry moths and cockroaches in their stock rooms.
You'll find solid freestanding houses and semis on modest plots, often with outside rooms, garages and flat-roofed additions built on over the years. Where an old roof meets a newer extension there is very often a gap, and rodents find it quickly. Houses sit close together, so a problem next door can be yours within a week. Corner shops and takeaways along the busier roads around Kromboom Road add food businesses to the mix.
This is flat, sandy Cape Flats ground that drains quickly and lets ants tunnel with ease. In winter, rain pools in low spots and stormwater drains back up, while the South-Easter spends summer blowing litter into corners. Sports fields and open spaces nearby give rodents room to move between properties.
Rats are the main call, roof rats in ceilings and Norway rats under outside rooms. German cockroaches follow kitchens, and big American cockroaches come up from drains in the warmer months. Ants in the sandy gardens are constant from spring to autumn.
Worth knowing
For food businesses, a pest found by a customer does far more damage than a pest found on a pheromone trap. Monitoring is about catching problems before anyone else does.
What gives them away
- Flour has a greyish tint, a musty smell or moves slightly when you look closely.
- Grains of rice or maize have tiny round exit holes, or the bag has fine dust at the bottom.
- Pheromone traps or glue boards in a warehouse catch more beetles or moths each week.
- Insects collect in the folds of packaging or along the seams of sealed boxes and bags.
- Small moths flutter out when you open a cupboard, and rest on the ceiling at night.
- Small brown or reddish beetles walk along pantry shelves or across the kitchen counter.
What happens when we come out
The first and most important step is finding and removing every infested product, because no treatment works while the insects still have food. Shelves, cracks and crevices, and the gaps behind and under cupboards and racking are vacuumed out to remove spilt product and eggs. We then apply a targeted residual treatment into cracks and crevices, and an insect growth regulator where the pest is a moth or beetle that keeps cycling through. Pheromone traps for moths and beetles go in to monitor for survivors and new arrivals. In warehouses, mills and food factories, larger infestations of bulk commodities may need fumigation, which we plan and carry out separately under the right controls.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our stored product pest control service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- In commercial stores, rotate stock on a first-in, first-out basis and keep pallets off walls so you can inspect behind them.
- Put new bags of flour or grain in the freezer for a few days if you have had weevils before, which kills eggs inside.
- Store birdseed and pet food away from the kitchen, as these are common sources of pantry moths.
- Buy dry goods in amounts you will use within a month or two, rather than letting big bags sit at the back of the cupboard.
- Wipe and vacuum pantry shelves when you restock, paying attention to corners and the gaps behind shelf supports.
How much will it cost?
For homes, the cost depends mostly on how big the pantry is and how far the insects have spread into other cupboards. For commercial sites, the size of the storage area, the type of commodity, the level of infestation and whether fumigation is needed all affect the price. Food businesses that need regular monitoring and audit paperwork are usually best on a service contract, and we quote free after an inspection.
In a home pantry, throwing out infested food, a thorough clean and sealed containers fixes most problems, and we will happily talk you through that over the phone. Spraying insecticide in a cupboard full of food is a bad idea, so please do not. Where you need a professional is when the insects keep returning after a clean-out, or when you have a commercial store, bakery or factory where losses and audits are at stake.
Frequently asked questions
Do you come out to Crawford for stored product pest control?
Yes. Crawford is part of our regular Cape Flats route, along with Athlone, Rondebosch East, Lansdowne, Rondebosch. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Why do rats keep coming back to my Crawford roof after baiting?
Usually the entry point is still open and the neighbours still have activity. We bait, find the gaps and advise on sealing them, so new rats don't simply move into the space.
Do you work in warehouses and food factories?
Yes. We do inspections, crack and crevice treatment, pheromone monitoring and scheduled visits, with reports you can use for food safety audits.
Are the big cockroaches in my bathroom coming from the drains?
Most likely, yes. Those are American cockroaches that live in sewer lines and come up through floor traps and loose drain covers, so we treat the drains and you can keep plugs in overnight.
Are these insects harmful if I eat them by accident?
They are not known to be dangerous in small amounts, but infested food is contaminated and should not be eaten or sold.
Do I have to throw everything away?
Throw away anything infested and anything open that is close to it. Unopened tins and sealed jars are generally fine once wiped down.
Office 021 012 5825 · WhatsApp us
